Samsung Electronics Australia is bringing the Digital Key feature to Samsung Wallet in Australia, transforming Galaxy smartphones into hands-free smart keys for cars.
Built to function like its physical counterpart, Digital Key is first launching with compatible BMW vehicles, allowing Australian drivers to lock and unlock their car doors, start their engines and share their Digital Keys with multiple drivers via their smartphones. Integrated with NFC and Ultra-Wide Band (UWB) capabilities, Samsung Wallet’s Digital Key offers a simple and quick way for users to interact with their car doors without taking their phone out of their pocket.
After registering a car key on Samsung Wallet, users can utilise the NFC and UWB features to unlock the car door. Their smartphone can then be placed on the compatible vehicle’s wireless charging pad to start their car’s engine once the Digital Key is recognised and authenticated.
Digital Key will run on the latest Android 13 OS or higher software with compatible Galaxy devices. Residing in the embedded Secure Element (eSE) of Samsung devices, Digital Key can only be activated on Samsung Wallet for Samsung users.
“The Samsung Wallet Digital Key solution helps simplify the everyday experience for our customers and provides them with convenience and peace of mind through a central and secure hub within their smartphones,” Samsung Electronics Australia vice president of mobile experience, Garry McGregor said.
“Our launch partnership with BMW allows Australians to use their Galaxy devices to seamlessly unlock car doors, start their engines and even share their Digital Keys, thereby offering our customers greater flexibility and convenience. We look forward to working with more car manufacturers in the future and onboarding them onto Samsung Wallet Digital Key.”
Compatible Samsung devices include Galaxy S20 series (all models except S20FE), Note 20 Series (Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra), Galaxy S21 series (S21, S21+, S21 Ultra and S21 FE), Galaxy S22 series (S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra), Galaxy S23 series (S23, S23+, S23 Ultra), Galaxy Z-Flip (Z-Flip 5G, Z-Flip3 and Z-Flip4), and Galaxy Z-Fold (Z-Fold2, Z-Fold3 and Z-Fold4).